Definition

A peptide vaccine containing an HLA-A*2402-restricted epitope of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) 2 with potential immunostimulatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, VEGFR2-169 peptide vaccine may stimulate a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against VEGFR2-expressing tumor cells. VEGFR2, a receptor tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed by a variety of tumor types; overexpression is associated with tumor cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. HLA-A*2402 is an MHC class I molecule that presents antigenic peptides to CD8+ T cells; epitope design restricted to epitopes that bind most efficiently to HLA-A*2402 may improve antigenic peptide immunogenicity.